Bromley held at home by Gateshead

Both teams were quick out of the blocks in the opening stages, but it was the hosts who had the first real chance of the  game. A good spell of possession led to a Reece Hannam corner, and though the visitors managed to clear the original delivery, the second ball was latched on to by Omar Sowunmi, who unselfishly squared the ball to Michael Cheek to score, only for his celebrations to be cut short by the raising of the linesman’s flag for offside.

Visitor’s fightback

The visitors got a foothold in the game on the half hour mark. Gateshead captain Greg Olley forced a strong save from Bromley goalkeeper Tom Smith which led to consecutive corners which came to nothing in the end.

Second half encouragement

Cheek once again looked the most likely to give the Ravens the lead but was again denied by the offside flag after a clever finish. A strong appeal for a penalty, which was waved away by referee Adam Campbell, a few moments later encouraged more noise from the home fans who were pleased with the improvement made from the first half.

Super substitutes

It would be two substitutes that would combine for Bromley’s opener in the 72^nd minute. A brilliant ball over the top of the visitor’s defence found Harry Forster, who took the ball in his stride and squared for Louis Dennis at the back post too tap into an empty net. Dennis’s second goal of the season, both coming from off the bench.

Only eight minutes later Gateshead equalised as Dan Ward got across his marker at the near post and guided an effort into the bottom left-hand corner, a goal which had come against the run of play.

The latter stages of the game saw plenty of Bromley pressure in search of a winner, but a defiant defensive display from the Tynesiders prevented the hosts from claiming all three points.

Managers’ Reaction

Bromley manager Andy Woodman explained how pleased he was with the impact the substitutes made in the game:

“I thought Louis and Harry really gave us what we needed, that little spark. That’s all part of being in a squad, that’s why the squads so important, that we’re all on the same page”.

Bromley drop down to fifth in the National League and maintain their spot in the play-offs, whilst Gateshead drop to 19th.